Come Into the Light

ALEKSANDR

I left Kaia in my bed and walked straight to my office to check Andrey’s email.

She didn’t move or say a word when I let her go—just let the tears fall, quiet and steady. She wouldn’t look at me, and I could feel the guilt rolling off her.

I didn’t know if it was because she lied to me, or if it was something else—maybe fear.

I thought seeing her cry would make me feel guilty for causing it. But all it did was make me angrier, because she’d rather keep everything bottled up than just tell me the truth.

I pressed my palms to my eyes while my email loaded, still pissed at Kaia for being so stubborn.

And honestly, I was mad at myself for letting her get to me like this.

After Andrey called, all I wanted from Kaia were answers. I never planned to touch her again—not after learning who she really was—but I couldn’t help myself.

I’d only ever loved one woman before, my wife.

But what I felt for her was nothing compared to what I felt for Kaia. I adored Nadya, but with Kaia, it was different—darker.

The man in me loved Nadya, but the beast in me fed off Kaia’s fear and the shadows she let me see inside her.

I craved Kaia. I craved the way her breath hitched when I got close, the goosebumps that rose on her skin when I touched her.

Most of all, I craved the feeling of her—whether she was wrapped around me or I was buried deep inside her.

I let out a shaky breath and clicked on Andrey’s email, watching as a dozen files popped up on my screen.

Andrey was good at what he did—no question. He’d sent a long note, too, explaining everything he’d found.

I sucked in a breath, my whole body going still.

There it was, plain as day—Kaia’s birth certificate, and her sister’s.

I read Andrey’s note.

~“No one from the village wanted to talk about Kaia or her sister, but I hacked a few cameras. The one at the docks showed a woman and what looked like a child, both with their heads covered, being led onto a ship called the Zula. It left for here at the same time as the attack on the Rostov estate.”~

I was still reading through the files when Niko strolled in, holding a cup of coffee and looking like he didn’t have a single worry.

“What did you do to piss off that woman?” He smirked, taking a sip. “She almost threw the coffee at me when I asked her to pour a cup.”

I shot him a look, and his smirk disappeared fast.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, sitting down and forgetting all about his coffee.

I leaned forward on my desk.

“Kaia is from Lipeshin.”

Niko’s mouth dropped open—there aren’t many things in this world that can shock him, but this did.

“So she’s Russian?” he asked, setting his cup on my desk.

“She’s Akim Rostov’s daughter.”

The silence after that was so heavy, it felt like it might crush us both.

Niko just blinked.

“Rostov had no children. We made sure of it,” he said quickly, then his voice got unsure. “Didn’t we?”

I shook my head.

“I didn’t have Andrey yet, remember?”

Niko nodded, looking away.

“Right. We had Nazar—the bastard.”

Nazar was the hacker I used before Andrey, back when I was still trying to keep things from my father.

What I didn’t know then was that Nazar was playing both sides, feeding my father information about everything I did.

“Andrey found two fake birth certificates that Kaia planted, just in case anyone went looking for her or her sister. In those, the father’s name is Ivan Smirnov—who doesn’t even exist, according to Andrey. So he dug deeper and found the real birth certificates, and Akim Rostov’s name is right there, clear as day.”

Niko leaned forward, elbows on his knees.

“Fuck,” he muttered, half in awe, half still in shock.

He looked at me, his eyes wary. “Does she know what your father did? Is that why she’s here? Revenge?”

I pushed away from the chair and started pacing.

“What ~I~ did, you mean,” I muttered, turning away so I could stare out the window at the cliffs.

Niko stood up too.

“You weren’t the one who ordered Lipeshin to be burned to the ground, Aleksandr.”

I spun around, my anger flaring up before I could stop it.

“Maybe not, but ~I~ was the one who found out Rostov was skimming money and keeping girls for himself. ~I~ was the one who told my father about Lipeshin and got all those people killed!”

Niko stepped closer, matching my glare with one of his own.

“You only gave the order to have Rostov questioned, that’s it!” he shouted back.

I turned away again and closed my eyes, letting my mind drift back a few years.

Back when I thought I was untouchable—ready to take my father’s place as pakhan. ~I had no idea Nazar was feeding my father the same information he gave me.~

Instead of following my orders, my men stormed the Rostov estate and killed everyone inside—women and children included—because my father told them to.

That was the thing about the old pakhan.

He hated being played for a fool, and he’d rather erase people from existence than let them get away with it. In that way, we were a lot alike.

He killed all those people just to teach me a lesson. Betraying him meant innocent people died.

It’s a lesson that still haunts me.

Now, knowing who Kaia really is, it feels like my father’s ghosts are back to haunt me all over again.

“Just tell her the truth, Aleksandr.”

My voice sounded tired as I kept staring out the window.

“Her mother died in that attack. She lost her home. Do you really think she’ll believe I’m innocent?”

“She could be here to kill you!” Niko’s voice was sharp, frustration bleeding through.

“She could be here for answers,” I shot back.

Niko stomped over until I had to face him.

His face was serious, no hint of a smile.

“You and I have known each other a long time, Aleksandr. We both know you and Kaia keep circling each other instead of just saying what you need to say,” he said. “And I know why. I’ve seen you two together. But if you want my advice? ~Stop fucking dancing and talk to her.~”

I pressed my lips together, thinking about what Niko said as he turned toward the door.

“If you don’t, you might as well let her go before she kills you.”